Last spring, Holly Borchers was named the head women’s basketball coach at Florida Southern College.
Al Green, FSC Assistant Athletic Director, thinks Borchers’ hiring was an obvious choice.
“Holly is ready to take over. She has been a great assistant for years as well as an excellent player. She is more than ready to be a head coach,” Green said.
Borchers faces the task of continuing the success the Lady Mocs enjoyed under her friend and former co-worker, Jarrod Olson.
Olson resigned last spring to become the head women’s basketball coach at California Baptist University. With the move, this season will be the first in 10 years that Borchers and Olson will not coach together.
The change will certainly require some adjusting, according to Borchers.
“Because Jarrod and I worked together for so long, we just got into a routine. I wouldn’t say there are obstacles but it’s just different and just takes a little bit of time to work out the new roles that Coach Currie and I have,” Borchers said. “It just takes a little more communication and planning.”
The relationship Borchers and Olson established over a decade is something that she said cannot be duplicated overnight.
We are good friends and we had the same outlook on a lot of things so we didn’t have to meet that much. We kind of both did our own thing. When you coach with someone for 10 years, you can kind of do your own thing,” Borchers said.
Borchers added that Olson served not only as a co-worker but as a mentor. Borchers is now on the other side of that relationship with new assistant Bryce Currie.
“I think it’s completely different, but in a good way. Coach Currie is young and has a lot of energy and is really good at a lot of things,” Borchers said. “He can relate to the players very well, which has really been helpful. I’m learning a lot from him.”
In addition to adjusting to the new dynamic within the coaching staff, Borchers faces the same challenge with the returning players.
The returning players have responded well to the coaching change, according to Green.
“The players that were here last year are excited to play for [Borchers]. They felt it was a natural move,” Green said. “The practices so far have been spirited and everyone is excited.”
According to Borchers, those returners have also helped to make the transition as seamless as possible.
“I would say, for the most part, our returners are responsible people and they’re really focused” Borchers said. “They have been a part of a couple championship teams so I don’t have to say much to them. They kind of get it and they’re doing a good job trying to help the new people along, which is very helpful to me.”
With five new players and a new coaching staff, the Lady Mocs will certainly have a new look in 2012.
